Broom or brush holder



Jan. 19, 1954 R. STEPPER BROOM OR BRUSH HOLDER Filed July 12, 1950 RUDOLF 'STEPPER Zmnentor Patented Jan. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES rATENT OFFICE BROOM R BRUSH HOLDER. Rudolf Stepper, Seattle, Wash.

Application July 12, 1950, Serial No. 173,359

4 Claims.

- or the handle is avoided under conditions somewhat in excess of normal usage; that is simple to construct and easy to attach to a brush or broom and which may be manually attached without the use of tools; that reinforces the broom or brush back of wood, and. tends to avoid splitting of the same, as is common with conven tional sweeping tools of today; and that is reversible and includes a reinforcing member outstanding along a face in a manner that, when reversed, will serve as a scraper for the removal of objects on the floor that are not otherwise movable by sweeping or scrubbing. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from a reading of the appended specification.

The invention, in its preferred form, is illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved brushor broom holder;

Figure 2 is an enlarged medial cross-sectional view of a convex-back sweeping broom showing the installation of the holder and the handle shaft; and

Figure 3 is a side View of the holder, on a reduced scale, showing its adaptation to a flat backed brush or broom.

My brush and broom holder'comprises, essentially, an elongated saddle S of inverted channel shape to fit over the normal solid back of a sweeping tool. In Figure 2, such a tool is shown as having a convex-back Hi and in Figure 3 the back 12 is fiat rather than rounded. These two shapes are most uniformly used and, as to size they are quite conventional. Each of the backs I 0 and I2 are provided with tufts of bristles or hair by which sweeping and scrubbing may be accomplished. These tufts are usually secured as by cement or lacing means in sockets provided in the under face of the back of the tool. Normally, the tuft arrangement is such that, at the flared out ends of the tufts, there is a mass of bristles, while at .the socket end the tufts are,

separated in the well known manner.

The saddle S comprises a back plate l4 and a pair of opposed depending flanges l6 and I8 integral therewith. In the preferred form of holder, the saddle S is produced by shaping sheet-metal material through a bendin or pressing operation, to the configuration shown, to insure that a certain inherent flexibility is had in the saddle. The saddle back [4 is normally concavo-convex from end to end and has the convex surface outward or upward and the concave surface directed inward to between the flanges I6 and Ill. The curvature employed is substantially that of the conventional convex-back sweeping broom.

Since the saddle back l4,'when being attached to a broom or brush, is compressed to permit the flanges to be drawn tightly to the side faces of the tool back, I have found it expedient to employ relatively heavy sheet metal stock and then to crease the same, as at 20, to form a hinging ridge and groove along the middle of the back plate. Also, adjacent the joinder of the back plate I 4 to one or both of the flanges l6, I8, I have provided creases 22 that are so shaped that, internally, the saddle has a ridge 24 which serves to bite into and grip the tool back when the saddle is secured in place.

Rigid attachment of the saddle to the tool back is had by compressing the flanges together and for that purpose draft means is employed. In the preferable form, I employ a draw bolt 26 having a head 28 and associated therewith, the thumb nut 30. To avoid drilling and weakening the broom back, I make the depending flanges l6, I8 deep enough for them to extend to beneath the face of the tool in which the bristle tufts are embedded, and provide them with aligned holes 32 through which the bolt 26 is passed. When the saddle is in place, midway between the ends of the brush or broom, the bolt is passed through hole 32 in flange l6, between tufts of brush or broom bristles, thence through hole 32 in flange l8 and, when thumb nut 30 is tightened, a secure gripping of the tool back is had through the flexing or bowing of the back plate, the biting-in of the ridges 24, and the tight engagement of the flanges l5, 18 with the front and back faces of the sweeping-tool back.

In the case of convex-backed brushes and the like, the ridges 25 tend to press upon the back and cause the back plate M to securely engage the tool. However, with the bowed back plate M and the holder used on flat backed brush l2 the ridges grip the tool back near the upper corners, prevent shifting about of the brush in the holder and tend to localize the stress of flexure in sharply defined lines along the tool so that, even through it does not closely fit the tool back. the holder and tool cannot easily or unintentionally become separated.

Standing off to one side of the holder is a split ferrule 34 which is rigidly welded in place on the back plate l4 and receives the lower end of handle" shaft 362. on each side of the split 35 of the ferrule is an car 38 that is pierced to receive a screw and thumb nut 45, by which the ears are drawn together as when the ferrule is being tightened about the handle end.

Flange 16 has an outstanding fin -52 secured thereon to reinforce the same and to: provide, when the tool is reversed, a scraper blade for the removal of gobs of gum or other materials that may tend to stick to a floor when sweeping or scrubbing is being performed. The fin 42 makes or"- the front. flange a II-shaped which is known to havev substantial resistance to bending.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that l have provided a simply constructed brush and broom. holder that. can. be attached. to a sweeping or scrubbing. tool. with facility, that it will serve. both to reinforce the tool back and the joinder. of. the handle shaft to the tool, that there is a convenient and useful arrangement of scraping. means operable when the tool is reversed, and. that. the essentials of the objects of this invention earlier stated have been fully accomplished. Itis. to. be borne. in. mind that changes. and modifications can be. made. within the spirit. and. scope of the invention. as defined by the. subjIoirred claims. and that such are contemplated.

Having thus. described my invention, 1. claim:

1. A. holder. for push-brooms, scrubbing brushes, and the like, comprising; an elongated, channebshaped saddle to: overlie the back of a brush. or broom and including. a pair of opposed I Numberdepending flanges joined between their upper edges by an integral back plate; said saddle being formed of metallic sheet stock and being flexible to permit fiexure of the flanges and bowing of the back plate; said saddle including, adjacent the joinder of each flange to the back plate, an inwardly directed concavo-convex ridge extending from end-to-end of the saddle to press upon the back of a broom or brush the full length of the saddle when the flanges are compressed; draft means operable to compress the flanges against the sides of the brush or broom back and to bow the back plate to press said ridges to the back of a. broom or brush; and shaft receiving means extending from said saddle in a position normal formanipulation of said broom or brush for sweeping. or scrubbing.

2. The structure according to claim 1 in which the back plate is formed to provide an inwardly open hinging groove extending from end-to-end medially of the back plate and. parallel to said flanges.

3. The structureof claim. 1 in which the flanges. of the saddle depend below the brush back and. the. draft means passes through the brush bristles and: beneath said brush back.

4-. The structure according toclaim. 1- inwhich the saddle back plate. is concave on inner face between said flanges.

RUDOLF STEPPERi Reiierences Cited in the file of this patent 'UN'ITIED STATES? PATENTS Name Date l,807,55 9 Smith May 26; 1931' FOREIGN PATENTS- Number Country- Date 845,885 Switzerland r. Apr. 16, 1 920- fl4,65.7f France Dec. 115-, 1914i 

